The Rumi Ensemble

"The Rumi Ensemble was founded in Norway by an Iranian/Norwegian musician and composer Javid Afsari Rad in 2007 for Rumi´s 800th birth anniversary. With the Strings, Percussion, Flute, Lute, Santur and Persian classical chant, Rumi-Ensemble creates music that takes you to hidden depths, yet at the same time brings you outward to the very edge. It has connotations of both the Sufi tradition and the western classical music in its alternation between the tranquil and meditative as well as the seductive and ecstatic moods. The program starts with the secret flute of "Ney", which Rumi describes in his master piece "Masnavi", as the narrator of life and creation. The singer´s introduction of Masnavi along with long notes of the strings and other instruments produce the sound scape of the old and the new. The music follows by the percussion of "Daf", the instrument which is mainly used in Sufi rituals, and takes the audience to a journey of the mystical world of music and poetry. The music develops into an energetic climax of rhythms associated with the dervish’s dance in the state of trance. Rumi´s poetry reflects the ecstatic nature of his words and is inspired by rhythm. For him, dance and music are important media to approach the higher levels of joy, understanding and exploration of life.."